Hon Brooke van Velden is the Minister of Internal Affairs and for Workplace Relations and Safety. Brooke left the private sector to work behind the scenes in Parliament to help pass the End of Life Choice Act. Qualified in international trade and economics, Brooke has also been a factory worker and corporate affairs consultant. She was elected to Parliament as an ACT Party MP in 2020, returning as MP for Tāmaki in 2023.
Latest Press Releases
$100 million dollars for three ICU beds
14 September, 2022
“Health Minister Andrew Little’s promise of a hundred million dollars for more ICU beds has resulted in just three additional beds,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
4,700 nurses needed in New Zealand
14 September, 2022
“Minister of Health Andrew Little is spinning on the head of a pin so he doesn’t have to answer how many nurses New Zealand actually needs,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
50K cost on new builds unacceptable
14 June, 2022
“Adding up to $50,000 to the cost of a new home with higher insulation standards is unacceptable in the middle of a housing crisis”, says ACT’s Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
800,000,000 housing tax revealed
14 June, 2022
“Labour’s interest deductibility change has been revealed as an $800 million tax grab on landlords,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
A United Health System? We hear ya!
26 January, 2023
“Labour’s health reforms which came into effect this year has further divided New Zealand and made our health system divided by race,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
ACC Minister struggles with maths
14 June, 2022
“The ACC Minister’s claims that it's appropriate for 1414 staff to have access to sensitive claims just don’t add up,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT accepts breast cancer petition
14 June, 2022
ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden has this morning accepted a petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for urgent action on breast screening....
ACT accepts petition for life-changing treatment
03 August, 2022
“It was an honour to today accept a petition signed by more than 10,000 Kiwis asking Health New Zealand to provide more treatment to multiple sclerosis patients, I hope the Minister of Health takes notice,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and...
ACT and Greens unite for democracy
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party has this evening moved a motion in Parliament asking for Labour and National’s rushed housing policy to go back to Select Committee,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.”...
ACT calling for unified health approach
14 June, 2022
“ACT is calling on Labour and National to amend the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill so it creates a better health system for all New Zealanders,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT calls for housing tax grab to be scrapped
14 June, 2022
“The Government is rushing through the Housing Tax Changes (Interest Limitation Rules) before 1 October under urgency in order to lay their hands on an extra $800 million,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT calls on PHARMAC review to start over again
14 June, 2022
“The interim report released today by the PHARMAC Review Panel shows the review is a whitewash,” says ACT's Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT congratulates Government on KiwiBuild milestone
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party has today congratulated the Government on reaching 1,000 KiwiBuild houses,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
ACT demands urgent debate on COVID deaths
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party has secured an Urgent Debate in Parliament about the deaths of New Zealanders who were isolating at home with COVID-19,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT fights for human rights
14 June, 2022
The ACT Party is proud to have prompted a debate in Parliament about the human rights abuses against the Uyghur people in China,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT forces fairness for private landlords
22 November, 2022
“The ACT Party is proud to have forced the government into evening the playing field for private landlords,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
ACT housing petition sending strong message
14 June, 2022
“The madness of removing mortgage interest tax deductibility on rental properties is percolating through the nation, with almost 6500 people having signed ACT’s petition to abolish the bright-line test and reinstate the ability for landlords to deduct mortgage interest from...
ACT proposes changes to protect privacy and safety of company directors
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party is proposing a change to the law so company directors can have the choice if they want to make their residential address publicly available on the companies register,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
ACT reiterates call to expel Russian Ambassador
22 September, 2022
“The Prime Minister should back up her words about Russia with actions and expel the Russian Ambassador from New Zealand,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
ACT reveals ACC privacy overreach
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party has revealed through Written Parliamentary Questions that 1,414 staff at ACC have access to sensitive file claims,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT’s interest deductibility petition presented to Parliament
14 June, 2022
“ACT’s petition to stop Labour’s interest deducibility change will be presented to Parliament today,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT’s new approach to mental health
14 June, 2022
“Andrew Little needs to take some responsibility after blaming the Ministry of Health who “has struggled to achieve as much as we would have liked them to" on mental health,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT’s plan to revolutionise Mental Health
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party is encouraging the Government to introduce our innovative solution for the Mental Health crisis facing New Zealand,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT’s Rural Health Strategy adopted by Government
14 June, 2022
“My amendment to the Pae Ora Bill to create a Rural Health Strategy has been adopted by the Government, signalling a renewed focus on the health needs for Kiwis who live rurally or remotely,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van...
ACT supports cross-party action on Iran
24 November, 2022
“The ACT Party is proud to join our Parliamentary colleagues from the Green Party, National, and Te Pati Maori in calling for more action from the Government on the atrocities occurring in Iran,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
ACT supports PM’s stronger stance on China
03 August, 2022
“ACT welcomes the Prime Minister’s comments to the NATO Summit that indicate our Government is taking the threat of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to democracy more seriously,” says ACT's Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT the only party to take law making seriously
05 December, 2022
“The ACT Party is the only party in Parliament to take the vital role MPs play as law makers seriously,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Party Whip Brooke van Velden.
ACT to fix housing mess in next Government
13 September, 2022
"The next Government will have to fix the housing mess that ACT predicted, and has solutions to,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
ACT welcomes Auckland mayor’s support for GST Sharing Bill
21 October, 2022
ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden has welcomed Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s support of her Member’s Bill due to be read in Parliament before the end of the year.
ACT welcomes Biden Presidency
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party congratulates President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their inauguration today,” says ACT Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden...
ACT welcomes End of Life Choice milestone
14 June, 2022
“ACT welcomes today’s End of Life Review Committee appointments, the final milestone before the legislation comes into effect next month,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT welcomes FTA
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party today welcomes news of the in-principle Free Trade Agreement between New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it is fantastic news. In a time we find little to agree with the Government on, this is excellent work,” says...
ACT welcomes molnupiravir decision
14 June, 2022
ACT has welcomed the Government’s purchase of 60,000 courses of antiviral pill molnupiravir.
ACT welcomes SCENZ group establishment
14 June, 2022
ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden has welcomed the establishment of the Support and Consultation for End of Life in New Zealand (SCENZ) group....
ACT welcomes UK Free Trade Agreement
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party today welcomes news of the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between New Zealand and the United Kingdom,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Trade spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT will support Russia Sanctions Bill
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party will support the Russia Sanctions Bill that will be introduced in Parliament on Wednesday, if anything it should happen sooner,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT will support surrogacy laws by-passing the ballot
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party is offering 10 votes in support of Tamati Coffey’s ‘Improving Arrangements for Surrogacy Bill’ in the hopes it can go straight into Parliament without languishing in the biscuit in,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke...
ACT would empower new councils with GST sharing
10 October, 2022
“ACT wants to empower new councils to develop more infrastructure and deliver more housing for the communities they’re representing with a GST sharing scheme,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson and Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
ACT would remove barriers to finance for build-to-rent schemes
14 June, 2022
“ACT has today announced it would remove barriers to finance build-to-rent schemes,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT would share GST with councils to fund infrastructure
14 June, 2022
“A new GST-sharing scheme announced by ACT today would get councils issuing resource consents with the great gusto that they have for giving parking tickets’” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
ACT’s plan to build more housing with neighbourly harmony
30 November, 2022
“ACT’s alternative to the RMA will result in more houses being built and fewer barriers being put in the way of their construction, in a way that returns power to local communities” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Andrew Little needs to correct Select Committee record
14 June, 2022
“Health Minister Andrew Little needs to own up to comments he made about people seeking lifesaving drugs,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Ardern fails on housing
14 June, 2022
“Four years in, the Ardern Government couldn’t be failing harder at ‘fixing’ housing,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson and Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
Ardern’s is a record-breaking Government
14 June, 2022
“The Olympics have finished but Jacinda Ardern’s Government is still breaking records,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Australia beats us again, this time with medical professionals
07 August, 2022
“The ACT Party can reveal that New Zealand has around 420 fewer nurses per 100,000 people than our Aussie cousins and 130 fewer doctors,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Avatar subsidies leave taxpayers feeling blue
03 August, 2022
“Hollywood elites are taking New Zealand taxpayers for a ride, with film subsidies costing them hundreds of millions of dollars every year,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
Be kind, don’t invest in houses
14 June, 2022
“After the median house price rose $200,000 and with no reason to believe the rise will stop, the Government has resorted to asking people not to invest in housing,” says ACT Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Better mental health services for Kiwis? We hear ya!
09 January, 2023
“Feel like the Government is announcing money for mental health but nothing ever changes? We hear ya. ACT has real solutions for mental health services in New Zealand,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Brain Drain Budget fails breast test
14 June, 2022
“Labour has once again failed to help those affected by breast cancer, with the Brain Drain Budget offering nothing to address the huge backlog of women awaiting breast screening,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Building costs out of control? We hear ya!
09 January, 2023
“Anyone who has tried to build a house recently will have realised the costs are out of control. We hear ya,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Christchurch City Council decision shows housing law won’t work
22 September, 2022
“Councils up and down the country are lashing out at the Labour/National housing deal, with the Christchurch City Council the latest to stand up to the law,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Collecting tariffs costing New Zealand
13 September, 2022
“Collecting tariffs is costing Kiwis around $2.5 million a year, we should just embrace free trade and reap the benefits,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Trade spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Com-com report reiterates need for practical solutions
04 August, 2022
“The Commerce Commission’s draft report into building supplies proves that overregulation is the problem, ACT has the solutions to fix this,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Common sense and compassion needed for rental regulations
14 June, 2022
“ACT is calling on the Government to issue exemptions and extensions for any landlord caught out by Alert Level changes when it comes to complying by the new standards,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Communist dictatorship's praise for Mahuta concerning
14 June, 2022
“Praise for New Zealand’s Foreign Minister from a communist dictatorship is deeply concerning and shows the Government should be more focussed on building stronger ties with our traditional allies,” says ACT’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Demand side tinkering will be just that – supply the key
14 June, 2022
“A new housing report from the New Zealand initiative confirms again what ACT has been saying for a long time – housing supply needs to be focused on from all angles,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden...
Divisive package will hurt those it aims to help
14 June, 2022
“Today’s housing package is all about blaming Mum and Dad investors without properly acknowledging why they’ve invested in housing – lack of supply has driven up houses prices,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Dr Do-Little fails health system
13 December, 2022
“Andrew Little has again failed to listen to calls to let health professionals into the country, with today’s immigration announcement failing to include some of the medical professionals New Zealand needs the most, ACT says we should get rid of this clunky system and replace it with a system that lets people in based on de
‘Emergency’ Housing Has Become The Norm Under Labour
21 November, 2022
“There are 400 times more Kiwis residing in emergency housing for a year or more than there were three years ago, ‘emergency’ housing has become the status quo under Labour,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Expectant parents should be eligible for emergency MIQ
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party has written to the COVID Response Minister Chris Hipkins asking that expectant parents be eligible to apply for emergency MIQ,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Experts: Labour’s housing change a renter’s tax
14 June, 2022
“The experts are in agreement: Labour’s proposed change to interest deductibility rules is a renter’s tax,” says ACT’s Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
First Assisted Dying report vindicates law
03 August, 2022
“ACT welcomes the release of the first annual report by the Registrar of Assisted Dying Services, it shows the law works as intended, and criticisms made before it passed were unfounded,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van...
First Home Grants an admission of failure
14 June, 2022
“The Budget increase to the First Home Grants and First Home Loans is an admission that this Government has pushed up house prices and they’re now pouring more fuel on the fire,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke...
Foreign Minister forgets the Pacific
14 June, 2022
“Reports that China will seek a deal with Pacific Islands covering policing, security and data communications cooperation next week is hugely concerning for New Zealand’s security and peace in the Pacific,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke...
Forget Shortland St, put nurses on the Green List
03 August, 2022
“In a ridiculous plot twist, the Government’s answer to the nursing shortage is to partner with Shortland St to promote nursing while it stubbornly refuses to put nurses on the immigration Green List,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson...
Free Press, 10 May 2021
14 June, 2022
Honest Conversations is only two weeks away. Please get your tickets here. The Prime Minister has written to Trevor Mallard, asking him to convene a committee to improve Parliament’s conduct and culture. We are not making this up. Co-governance of...
Free Press, 14 June 2021
14 June, 2022
The Climate Change Commission recommends carbon emissions reduce 63 per cent in 14 years, while the economy and population continue to grow, regardless of what happens to emissions in other countries. Meanwhile in the real world the lights are kept...
Free Press, 24 January 2022
14 June, 2022
The whole country sees red while the Government takes Wellington Anniversary off. Only Labour would postpone Cabinet in a crisis to observe a public holiday. The crisis is not Omicron but the Government’s reaction to it. Too strict for life...
Free Press, 28 April 2021
14 June, 2022
The Minister of Finance has an insatiable appetite for power, a useful prop for the Treasury’s turf war against the Reserve Bank. Labour is campaigning to revive National’s 1990’s healthcare model. National vow to retain the DHBs that Labour introduced...
Free Press, 4 May 2021
14 June, 2022
Armed with only Parliament’s Standing Orders, Brooke van Velden has succeeded where nuclear powers have failed. She’s made Labour take a clear position on China. Either they will support her motion condemning genocide in Xinjian, or prevent it being debated,...
Free Press, 6 April, 2021
14 June, 2022
There’s something blowing in the wind, and it’s not friendly to the Government. Two weeks ago they were in trouble over Australian travel. There’s just no way to explain why quarantine-free travel has been one-way for so long. Why are...
Free Press Monday 12 April -The Regulatory Standards Bill
14 June, 2022
ACT’s 11 per cent poll result would deliver 14 MPs. It is an all-time record. All politicians talk, but Brooke van Velden just launched a listening website. Real stories about the Government’s shock and awe housing policy are flooding in...
Free Press, SPECIAL EDITION, 24 March 2021
14 June, 2022
Today I have launched a petition today seeking your support to repeal the bright-line test and reintroduce mortgage interest deductibility on residential property income....
From year of delivery to year of reannouncements
14 June, 2022
“The Prime Minister cannot be telling us the big response of a transformational Labour Government to the shortage of houses being built in New Zealand is which regions will get the new state houses announced in last year’s Budget,” says...
Give renters a break? We hear ya!
09 January, 2023
“Landlords and ultimately renters have take a hammering from Labour and as the cost of living increases, ACT says it’s time to give them a break,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Give sanctuary to Ukrainian-Kiwi families
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party has today launched a petition to give sanctuary to Ukrainian-Kiwi families,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Government bereft of ideas on housing
14 June, 2022
“It is shameful that the Government is so bereft of ideas on delivering more housing that it couldn’t answer any questions today beyond a plan to build fewer public houses by 2024 than there are families on the waiting list...
Government can’t decide what’s in the public interest
14 June, 2022
“The Government should issue extensions to landlords unable to meet Healthy Homes Standards as a result of the COVID-19 alert levels,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Government couldn’t meet its own housing standards
14 June, 2022
“Megan Woods changed the heating formula for her Healthy Home Standards because she knew the Government’s own new builds weren’t going to meet the standard,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Government doesn’t have its finger on the pulse
14 June, 2022
"The Government has no idea whether people with COVID who are isolating at home have been issued pulse oximeters and lives are at stake,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Government hypocrisy on healthy homes
14 June, 2022
“The Government is showing arrogance and hypocrisy when it comes to the timeframe for rolling out its so-called ‘Healthy Homes Standards’, says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Government makes a mockery of PHARMAC review
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party can today reveal the review into PHARMAC has been delayed by more than two months,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Government must front on PHARMAC review
14 June, 2022
"A new survey commissioned by Patient Voice Aotearoa shows the Labour Government must provide New Zealanders better access to the care and medicines they need to live a healthy life," says Brooke van Velden, ACT Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson....
Government oversteps on wood exports
14 June, 2022
“Comments this morning from Building and Construction Minister Poto Williams that the Government is considering limiting wood exports to keep construction materials from going offshore, will send a shiver down the spine of many businesses,” says ACT’s Trade spokesperson Brooke...
Government reforms: same hospitals, same care, different name
14 June, 2022
“Health Minister Andrew Little has had today held a briefing about the Government’s health reforms that has left more questions than answers,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Government’s double standards on housing imposed today
14 June, 2022
“The Government’s so-called “Healthy Homes Standards” come into effect today, but only for private landlords and not for state housing,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Government’s response to overdue PHARMAC review misses the point
14 June, 2022
“Labour has finally been pressured into revealing the review into PHARMAC, but sadly their response shows they’re still focused on slicing up the health system based on race instead of need,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Government should get out of the housing market
11 November, 2022
“If Kāinga Ora can’t operate in the housing market without being bailed out by taxpayers, it shouldn’t be there competing against private developers,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Government should Google “double-standard”
14 June, 2022
“The Government needs to answer why Google billionaire Larry Page was able to get residency so quickly when skilled workers are being turned away,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
Govt considering healthy homes extension tomorrow
20 November, 2022
“Tomorrow Cabinet will consider whether Kāinga Ora gets a bailout, after ACT revealed the Government is planning another Healthy Homes Standard extension earlier in the week,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Govt drops the ball on pulse oximeters
14 June, 2022
“The Government has once again dropped the ball on its COVID-19 response, but community care has picked it up,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Govt drops the ball on treatments, like it did with vaccinations
14 June, 2022
“Australia has purchased 300,000 courses of an anti-viral medication ahead of approval, school kids in the UK are doing rapid antigen test twice a week and Canada has stockpiled oxygen saturation monitors, all while the New Zealand Government twiddles its...
Govt incompetence laid bare with Tukaki appt
03 August, 2022
“The incompetence of the Labour Government was clear for all to see this evening on 1News with the appointment of someone to a critical role without even checking his CV,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
Govt planning another Kainga Ora Healthy Home extension
17 November, 2022
“Labour has all but confirmed that it will give Kainga Ora another extension for implementing Healthy Homes Standards. It’s one rule for landlords, another rule for Labour,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Govt says ok to Retail therapy but not actual therapy
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party is calling on the Government to allow physiotherapy to resume under Auckland's three stages as a permitted activity,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Govt’s ideological housing obsession lands in court
20 October, 2022
“The Government’s attempts to meddle in the housing market means it is facing court action for anti-competitive behaviour, no wonder we have a housing crisis when even the Government prevents development,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Greens see sense on infrastructure but abandon principles for drunken sailors
20 November, 2022
ACT welcomes the support of the Green Party for Brooke van Velden’s GST Sharing infrastructure Bill, but questions why Chloe Swarbrick’s wowser blitz spares drunken sailors at the viaduct.
Hawke’s Bay Hospital on life support
27 November, 2022
“New Zealand hospitals are on life support as documents show services have diminished to the point where people have died due to not being seen,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Health sector needs 25% more midwives
04 November, 2022
“New Zealand is facing a chronic shortage of midwives as more and more choose to head overseas or not renew their certificates,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Health workers should be able to self-isolate
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party says today’s decision to give 300 MIQ spaces to health care workers is months too late and they should be able to self-isolate,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
House prices exceed Treasury’s 2025 forecast
14 June, 2022
“Treasury's forecasts for house prices in 2025 have been surpassed already, raising questions about the advice the Government is getting,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
House prices set to increase in 2022
14 June, 2022
“Today’s HYEFU forecasts a 10.4 per cent increase in house prices next year,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Housing loans will fuel crisis
14 June, 2022
“Labour’s changes to housing loan schemes ignore basic economics and will further fuel the housing crisis,” says ACT’s Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Housing market hasn’t seen nothing yet
14 June, 2022
“With over 100,000 new residents potentially joining the first home buyer market, expect to see the housing market continue to go crazy,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Housing Minister all at sea on interest deductibility
14 June, 2022
“Housing Minister Megan Woods danced with delusion when I asked her a simple question today: Why wouldn’t putting the average landlord’s tax bill up $4,000 affect renters?” says ACT Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Housing policy must not be divisive
14 June, 2022
“The Government’s housing policy must create the conditions for mass building, not try to divide up a shortage differently,” says ACT Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Housing stories show renters will suffer
14 June, 2022
“A website set up by the ACT Party to hear concerns about the Government’s new interest deductibility law change has shown just how damaging this policy will be to renters,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Ihumātao taking an Ardernity
03 August, 2022
“After capitulating to squatters at Ihumātao, and stopping 480 houses from being built, Labour says it’ll take 6.5 years to figure out what to do with the land,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Kāinga Ora’s uncaring double standards
14 June, 2022
“The Labour Government needs to explain why a terminally ill state housing tenant was left fighting to get a heat pump in the middle winter when private landlords have a looming deadline to have them installed,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson...
Kainga Ora blows out on staffing costs
15 November, 2022
“Kainga Ora might be failing to fix the housing crisis but they are still spending up a frenzy in the process, with a 78 per cent increase in managerial salaries in just two years,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Kainga Ora failing to collect the rent
18 February, 2023
“The average rent arrears owed to Kainga Ora has quadrupled in just three years. The scale of the disaster in Hawke’s Bay shows the government will need to tighten its belt and it can no longer afford to let things like this slide,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Kelvin Davis should apologise
29 September, 2022
“The Prime Minister needs to show some leadership and discipline Deputy Labour Leader Kelvin Davis for his race-based slurs against ACT MP Karen Chhour,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Whip Brooke van Velden.
Labour and National offer no choice on housing
14 June, 2022
"Labour and National are offering voters no choice on housing, singing from the same song sheet, but ACT will reverse the attacks on landlords and make it attractive to rent out houses again,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Labour continues to transfer wealth
14 June, 2022
“Jacinda Ardern continues to oversee the greatest transfer of wealth from poor to rich in New Zealand’s history”, says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Labour fails first home buyers
14 June, 2022
“The steady decline in Kiwis securing First Home Grants shows the abject failure of Labour’s housing policy,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Labour Minister shows he has no idea how to govern
14 June, 2022
“Comments from Health Minister Andrew Little about throwing billions at the health system with no results show he’s completely out of his depth,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Labour/National housing deal already causing problems
14 June, 2022
“National and Labour’s deal to stick it to ‘NIMBYs’ and allow three three-storey homes on every residential section will change the face of our cities without building more homes,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Labour/National need to listen on housing
14 June, 2022
“Auckland Council’s preliminary response to the Government and National’s housing planning changes confirm that their policy is nothing more than political theatre masquerading as a solution,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Labour oversees biggest January rent increase since 2011
14 February, 2023
“It’s not just homeowners who are suffering the consequences of Labour’s mismanagement, today’s rental price index shows that everyone is paying more to have a roof over their heads,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Labour’s $800 million Housing Tax
14 June, 2022
“ACT agrees with Grant Robertson’s comments today that tax is not the solution to the housing crisis – so why on earth is he piling on a new tax?” asks ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Labour’s dream of a divided health system comes true
03 August, 2022
“Tomorrow is a sad day for New Zealanders, as Labour’s health reforms come into effect and our health system becomes divided by race,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Labour’s Renter’s Tax confirmed
14 June, 2022
“The official advice the Government got on interest deductibility changes backs up the many stories ACT is hearing from landlords and the experts,” says ACT’s Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Labour’s own policy donut -and a policy win for landlords from ACT
18 November, 2022
“Fresh from accusing National of carrying out a policy donut, Labour appear to have done one of their own when it comes to Healthy Homes Standards,” says ACT housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Labour’s smoking bill kills dairies
13 December, 2022
“The Government’s gradual ban on all tobacco sales is prohibition. It will create a black market and kill off dairies”, says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Leaked Ministerial Briefing shows Green List emergency
16 November, 2022
“A Ministerial Briefing leaked to the ACT Party shows Health Minister Andrew Little is fully aware of the shortages across the health sector and yet he continues to do nothing,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Look who’s missing from the Quad squad
14 June, 2022
“It’s hard to believe New Zealand wouldn’t have been welcome at today’s historic virtual ‘Quad’ talks taking place between the leaders of the United States, Japan, India and Australia, but our absence perhaps says a lot of about the approach...
Mahuta vs Robertson, choose your fighter
14 June, 2022
“Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Finance Minister Grant Robertson seem to be on completely different pages when it comes to the remit of Five Eyes,” says ACT’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Major missed opportunity on Pharmac reform
14 June, 2022
“Pharmaceutical funding was totally absent from today’s health policy review, and that’s about where it is in this Government’s priorities,” according to ACT Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden...
Mandates on chiropractors need correcting
14 June, 2022
“Chiropractors are better at adjustments than most of us, but the Government’s illogical vaccine mandates have even them bent out of shape,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Meddling Robbo needs to butt out
14 June, 2022
“Grant Robertson’s meddling in the demand side of housing won’t build a single extra home,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Megan Woods in hiding on housing
14 June, 2022
“This Government’s practice of blather and flannel when asked specific questions about its performance is running its usual evasive course in respect of how many new houses it will build this year,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Member’s Bill to supercharge consents process drawn
04 August, 2022
“My Member’s Bill drawn today will address the housing crisis and remove the barrier stopping councils from developing infrastructure,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Mental health report shows why we need MHANZ
14 June, 2022
Today’s Te Huringa: Change and Transformation - Mental Health Service and Addiction Service Monitoring Report 2022 report by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission shows that the Government’s expensive but poorly-planned approach to mental health is not turning the dial...
Minister’s arrogance over breast cancer surgeries unbelievable
14 June, 2022
“The arrogance of the Labour Government has reached new heights with Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall saying the number of postponed breast cancer surgeries due to COVID-19 is “not in the public interest,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson...
Minister should apologise to patients’ group
14 June, 2022
“Health Minister Andrew Little owes an apology to Patient Voice Aotearoa for accusing them of using “extremist rhetoric,” says ACT Health Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Minister waffles, renters in the cold
14 June, 2022
“Housing Minister Megan Woods’ vague promises of supply measures to ease housing pressures won’t help a single renter struggling to get a roof over their head,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
MoH needs to cut the contractors
09 December, 2022
“The new Director General of Health and the Health Minister have been unable to tell Parliament when and by how much the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora would expect spending on consultants to decrease,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Money and promises don’t equal results with Labour
14 June, 2022
“With every Budget the Government offers up more money and promises more services for mental health, and with every Budget New Zealanders are let down by a lack of delivery and no visible improvement to the mental health system,” says...
More bureaucracy won’t address cause of rising food prices
03 August, 2022
“The Government’s announcement of a ‘Grocery Commissioner’ misses the point of why Kiwis are paying too much for food – rampant domestic inflation fuelled by Government spending,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
More money for infrastructure? We hear ya!
25 January, 2023
“To get more houses there needs to be more infrastructure, the problem is that even when the council hikes your rates they can’t afford infrastructure. ACT has the solution in the form of my GST Sharing Member’s Bill,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
More restrictions than trade
03 August, 2022
“The EU Free Trade Deal will add more restrictions, rather than granting new access to trade,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Trade spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
National’s capital gains tax needs to go
14 June, 2022
“The National Party’s capital gains tax is causing stress and uncertainty for families and it needs to go”, says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
New Australian govt a chance for ANZAC reset
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party sends its congratulation to new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and hopes Jacinda Ardern and Nanaia Mahuta will use this opportunity to reset New Zealand’s ANZAC relationship,” says ACT’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
New rules terrible for renters
14 June, 2022
“For three and a half years the Labour Government has been pushing housing further away from those who most need it, and from today that challenge will be amplified,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
New taxes and compulsory land acquisition aren’t the answers
14 June, 2022
“A new ‘stamp duty’ proposed by Treasury is not the answer to the housing crisis” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
New website to hear housing stories
14 June, 2022
“A flood of stories about the likely impacts of new interest deductibility rules has necessitated a new website to hear them all,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
No answer for health worker shortages
10 November, 2022
“The critical health worker shortage New Zealand faces has little chance of being fixed anytime soon if Health Minister Andrew Little’s performance in Parliament today is any indication,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
No progress on Ihumātao housing
14 June, 2022
“Eight months after the Government made a $29.9 million agreement with taxpayers’ money to buy the land at Ihumātao from Fletcher, there has been absolutely no progress to build houses,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
No projections or timeline for Ihumātao
14 June, 2022
“Housing Minister Megan Woods has today told Parliament she’s written a $30 million cheque for Ihumātao with taxpayers’ money but has absolutely no idea how it will be spent,” says ACT’s Housing spokeswoman Brooke van Velden....
Not enough health workers? We hear ya!
09 January, 2023
“As emergency departments overflow and waiting times increase, it’s obvious New Zealand needs more health professionals. We hear ya,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Now is the time for urgency
14 June, 2022
“As the tragic invasion of the Ukraine shocks the world, it’s time for our Government to take urgent action,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Nurses strike another symptom of health system decline
27 October, 2022
“The Government’s failure to consider nurses outside District Health Boards and Te Whatu Ora is piling more pressure onto our straining health system as Primary Health Care and Plunket nurses strike,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
“Nutter”: PM should admonish Nash
14 June, 2022
“The Prime Minister should pull Stuart Nash into line after he called a parliamentary colleague a ‘nutter’”, says ACT Health Spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
NZ letting Pacific allies down
14 June, 2022
“Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta needs to stop shirking her duty and go and support our allies in the Pacific,” says ACT’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
NZ trains 40 per cent fewer medical professionals
31 October, 2022
“The collapse in New Zealand’s health system has been a long time coming and is part of a gradual decline in New Zealand’s prosperity,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
One rule for Kiwis, another rule for Labour
03 August, 2022
“The Government seems to think the Healthy Home Standards they’ve imposed on Kiwi landlords don’t apply to them, with less than half of Kainga Ora homes compliant,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Only ACT is offering holistic housing solutions
14 June, 2022
“National is putting the zoning cart before the infrastructure horse,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Over-regulated construction sector driving up inflation
03 August, 2022
“The Government’s incompetence in dealing with construction sector issues has contributed significantly to today’s record inflation numbers,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Oversized heat pumps will cost hundreds of millions
14 June, 2022
“The Government needs to scrap its Healthy Homes rules and go back to the drawing board, including properly consulting experts and landlords”, says ACT Housing Spokesperson and Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
Pacific Peoples Minister agrees with ACT on health reforms
14 June, 2022
“Pacific Peoples Minister Aupito William Sio has echoed the concerns of the ACT Party about the Government’s health reforms and we encourage the rest of his caucus to listen to his concerns,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Pattern developing of failings in cyber security
14 June, 2022
ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden has today successful triggered an urgent debate in Parliament about the cyber security breaches at Waikato Hospital....
PHARMAC cancer decision shows why funding review needed
14 June, 2022
“Depriving children of cancer drugs shows exactly why we need a funding review into PHARMAC,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
PHARMAC funding needs to be reviewed
14 June, 2022
“PHARMAC’s funding shortfall of $400 million proves the funding model needs to be reviewed,” says ACT Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
PHARMAC funding review needed
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party today welcomes a $191 million boost to funding for PHARMAC - now we need a proper funding review,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Pharmac joins ACT’s call for a Medicines Strategy
14 June, 2022
“It appears that everyone wants a dedicated Medicines Strategy apart from Andrew Little, who is too focussed on slicing up the health system based on race instead of need,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
PHARMAC must explain funding decisions
14 June, 2022
“A report this morning that all PHARMAC staff, rather than clinical experts or those with patient experience are making decisions about life savings medicines is astounding," says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Pharmac must front up and be held accountable
14 June, 2022
“ACT is appalled that Pharmac is refusing to front up to media on the day its long-delayed review has finally been revealed,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
PHARMAC petition tabled at Parliament
14 June, 2022
A petition with more than 100,000 signatures has today been tabled at Parliament after being accepted by ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
PHARMAC political theatre grotesque
14 June, 2022
“It is grotesque political theatre to make people wait for the budget to get their medicines funded each year,” says ACT Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
PHARMAC review a victory for ACT
14 June, 2022
“ACT was the first to call for a review into PHARMAC, it then became Labour policy during the election campaign and today we welcome the scale and scope of the review,” says ACT Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
PHARMAC's priority list lacks transparency
14 June, 2022
“The ACT Party welcomes PHARMAC recognising New Zealanders are asking for more transparency on which medicines it fund but today's announcement falls short of providing the information needed,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
PHARMAC scrutiny a win for transparency
03 August, 2022
“PHARMAC’s appearance before the Health Select Committee tomorrow morning is a triumph for transparency and the result of ACT’s persistent advocacy for a review into PHARMAC,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.“It was ACT who got...
Picking winners not the answer to infrastructure woes
13 October, 2022
“The Government’s announcement of $192 million dollars scattered around the country will not solve our infrastructure problems, we need enduring solutions,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Plasterboard taskforce delivers enough for three days
03 August, 2022
“Housing Minister Megan Woods has issued a statement boasting about the work of her Plasterboard Taskforce, boasting that enough material for three days of building is being shipped to New Zealand. The boast only shows how out of touch she...
Prime Minister can’t have it both ways on misinformation
13 September, 2022
“Jacinda Ardern’s government has shed the ‘kindness’ image and has again shown it is willing to spread misinformation and throw women under the bus to cover its tracks,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Prime Minister should visit Pacific
14 June, 2022
“ACT is calling on the Prime Minister to show some leadership and step in for her MIA Foreign Affairs Minister by stopping in the Pacific on her way home,” says ACT’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Prohibition is not the answer
03 August, 2022
“Labour’s command and control stance on banning smoking and reducing nicotine content is nanny state politics that will have unintended consequences,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Pulse oximeters withheld from COVID positive patients
14 June, 2022
“Health Minister Andrew Little has today confirmed that almost half of all COVID positive patients isolating at home have not been given pulse oximeters,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Questions that need to be answered by Rotorua inquiry
13 September, 2022
“There are several questions that need to be answered through an inquiry into the ill-fated Rotorua housing experiment,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Radical Govt continues push for co-governance
14 June, 2022
“The creation of a Māori Health Authority with a veto over national health plans shows Jacinda Ardern’s Government is much more radical than Helen Clark’s was,” says ACT Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Real Change on free trade
03 August, 2022
“ACT is proposing that New Zealand unilaterally abolishes all remaining tariffs to ease the cost-of-living crisis, boost productivity and growth, and show global leadership on free trade,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Trade spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Real Change to building houses
03 August, 2022
"Successive governments have failed to address housing and it is now the largest single expense faced by New Zealand households, It’s time for real change to allow Kiwis to build,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Refocusing the public service on delivery for all
10 October, 2022
“ACT in Government would refocus government agencies to carry out effective delivery of services for all New Zealanders, instead of lazy race-based targeting” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Rent controls crazy, even for Labour
14 June, 2022
“Labour’s economic illiteracy has plumbed new depths with Poto Williams reportedly considering rent controls,” says ACT Housing spokesperson and Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
Robertson adopts ACT policy
14 June, 2022
“Four months ago ACT suggested the Reserve Bank should be made to use monetary policy to impact house price inflation and today the Government agreed,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Robertson Must Rule Out Rent Control
14 June, 2022
“In a week when the property sector needs confidence to build, Grant Robertson has dropped another bombshell on property investors,” says ACT’s Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden...
Rural health can’t keep being ignored
14 June, 2022
“The Government should adopt my amendment to the Pae Ora Bill to ensure the 750,000 New Zealanders who live rurally or remotely don’t continue to be overlooked and forgotten by our health system,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson...
Saliva testing comes far too late
14 June, 2022
“It's taken the Government more than six months to adopt a new technology based on evidence everyone had in February,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Shameless housing hoax laid bare
14 June, 2022
“For a while it’s been clear something didn’t add up with the Government’s claims of delivering housing to those who most need it,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Shelly Bay occupiers should go home
14 June, 2022
“ACT is calling on the Shelly Bay squatters to pack up their things and go home,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Short-term solution for long-term housing problem
14 June, 2022
“The Government’s infrastructure announcement this morning is a temporary fix that doesn’t address the enduring problem that is preventing houses from being built,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Spending goes up and bed numbers go down
07 December, 2022
“Labour’s mismanagement of the health system is proof that using more taxpayers’ money doesn’t automatically translate to improved services, despite a record spend on mental health the number of beds available has plummeted,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Stop vilifying landlords and start listening
14 June, 2022
“Labour should stop vilifying residential property investors and start listening to them,” says ACT’s Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Sugar tax leaves bitter taste
14 June, 2022
“Health Minister Andrew Little has refused to rule out introducing a sugar tax,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Tasmania the latest to progress human rights
14 June, 2022
“I’m so pleased to welcome another Australian state passing voluntary assisted dying legislation, with last night’s victory for the new law in the Tasmanian Parliament,” says ACT Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
There may never be a house built at Ihumātao
14 June, 2022
“The Government can’t escape the fact that the agreement it signed on the future of land at Ihumātao only says houses ‘may’ be built there and since the agreement was announced there hasn’t been any commitment that a single house...
They’re not “healthy homes standards” they’re double standards
14 June, 2022
“The Housing Minister has proved today that her so-called Healthy Homes Standards are simply double standards,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Too many bureaucrats and not enough health workers? We hear ya!
09 January, 2023
“Why are taxpayers paying more and more for bureaucrats when we still can’t get enough health workers on the job? ACT hears ya,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Treasury’s fantasy forecasts have already flopped
14 June, 2022
“Treasury's fantasy forecast of flatlining house prices are already out of date. In fact, house prices reached levels Treasury predicted in three years after just three months,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Treaty not the biggest healthcare issue
14 June, 2022
“Today’s health review announcement from the Government has failed to address the real issues facing New Zealanders,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Twelve years to save for a deposit
14 June, 2022
“Labour was elected to fix housing, but a new report shows on its watch it now takes nearly 12 years to save for a house deposit,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Ukrainian evacuation order yet another reason to dump MIQ
14 June, 2022
“The Government has left Kiwis in the Ukraine in limbo, telling them to leave but not offering them a way home,” ACT Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Undiagnosed breast cancer just the start
14 June, 2022
“Figures released by the Breast Cancer Foundation today revealing 133 women are undiagnosed with the disease show the toll lockdowns are taking on New Zealanders,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Want consistent and fair access to medicines? We hear ya!
09 January, 2023
“Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. Instead of relying on the luck of the draw or politically motivated funding announcements, ACT says we should have a dedicated strategy to ensuring access to medicines,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Wellington bureaucrats could learn from soda and sammies
14 June, 2022
“Our Wellington bureaucrats could learn a thing or two from Amazon on how to avoid largess, especially when taxpayer money is at stake,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
Where does NZ stand on Free Trade Agreement?
14 June, 2022
“The Government needs to let New Zealanders know where we stand with the UK on Free Trade after Australia got in first,” says ACT’s Trade spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Where is the PHARMAC Review?
14 June, 2022
“It has been three months to the day since the Minister received the PHARMAC review, why is he still hiding it?” Asks ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Where is the PHARMAC review?
14 June, 2022
“The interim report into PHARMAC is now a month overdue and patients who’ve made a submission in good faith deserve an update,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
Who’s right, the Education Secretary or the Minister?
14 June, 2022
“The Education Minister and the Secretary for Education need to decide who is right about teachers being critical workers,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden....
Why is she here?
14 June, 2022
ACT’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden has today asked Nanaia Mahuta the question everyone wants answered, why are you here?...
Why won’t the PM stand up for women?
17 October, 2022
“Jacinda Ardern must explain her deafening silence on the atrocities occurring in Iran and answer the question, why won’t she stand up for women at a time when leadership is needed?” Asks ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Woods' weak response to Kāinga Ora
14 June, 2022
“Housing Minister Megan Woods needs to do more than write a letter if she wants to get back control of the wayward Kāinga Ora,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden....
You can’t pay your rent with Jacinda’s spin
14 June, 2022
“No wonder the Prime Minister’s spin doctors have been hunting out quotes from economists who might disagree with many of their colleagues that renters will suffer as a result of scrapping of mortgage interest deductibility,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke...
Zero KiwiBuild homes delivered in June
04 August, 2022
“Just when you think KiwiBuild can’t get any worse, Housing Minister Megan Woods has confirmed to Parliament that not a single KiwiBuild house was built in June,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Zero KiwiBuild houses delivered in July
13 September, 2022
“Housing Minister Megan Woods should consider asking NZTA for its giant $10,000 Zero signs after KiwiBuild failed to deliver a single home for a second month this year,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
GST sharing bill’s time has come
05 April, 2023
“Parliament has the ability tonight to support a practical solution to free up infrastructure funding and get houses built for the next generation,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Downbeat building sector needs GST-sharing bill
04 April, 2023
“With today’s New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZEIR) quarterly survey showing the building sector is down in the dumps, Parliament should do the right thing and support my GST-sharing Member’s Bill when it is read for the first time tomorrow,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
ACT welcomes National backing off three by three housing law
02 April, 2023
"The next Government will have to fix the housing mess that ACT predicted, and has solutions to,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Te Whatu Ora bureaucracy cuts should just be the start
31 March, 2023
“Te Whatu Ora’s move to reduce the number of back-office bureaucrats should be welcomed. If only Labour could apply that approach to the entire public sector,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Kainga Ora building bureaucracy and not much else
30 March, 2023
“Kainga Ora has grown its staff by 74 per cent in three years while only managing an extra seven per cent of homes. According to the Minister this is just the tip of the wasteful spending iceberg though,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson.
Kiwis unable to access mental health teleservice
30 March, 2023
“A third of Kiwis who call the Government’s 1737 mental health teleservice are hanging up before getting the chance to speak to anyone, it isn’t good enough,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Boutique gin isn’t very bread and butter
26 March, 2023
“Chris Hipkins obviously has a different opinion of what ‘bread and butter’ is to most Kiwis, His Government has announced they’re doling out millions in corporate welfare to a distillery and film studio,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Health staffing shortages only getting worse
25 March, 2023
“The glut of healthcare issues occurring across New Zealand are being driven by chronic workforce shortages, unfortunately workforce data shows they’re only getting worse,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Sad scenes show importance of free speech
25 March, 2023
“Today in Albert Park we have seen something ACT has long warned of: The alternative to free speech and reasoned debate is physical violence,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Yesterday’s man either can’t remember or can’t tell truth
24 March, 2023
“Winston Peters has said Labour hid its He Puapua plan from him, but new documents show he’s either forgotten he helped approve it, or can’t tell the truth,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
ACT has raised $120k for Ukraine
22 March, 2023
“ACT has raised over $120,000 for Ukraine, with $40,000 raised at our fundraiser last night,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Auckland 6th least affordable major housing market in world
21 March, 2023
“Labour got elected five and a half years ago on a bold promise to fix housing, the annual Demographia International Housing Affordability report shows they’ve only made things worse,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
ACT holds another fundraiser for freedom
20 March, 2023
“The ACT Party is proud to help our friends in Ukraine with their fight for freedom by hosting another fundraiser tomorrow evening,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Govt needs to brush up on dentistry workforce woes
20 March, 2023
“On World Oral Health Day, ACT is asking the Government to brush up on the state of Kiwi kids’ teeth,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Double the managers and double the salaries while Kiwis keep battling
19 March, 2023
“The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has doubled the amount of managers it employs and the taxpayer-funded salaries that come with them since Labour took office,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Ineffective Greens frustrated by own failure
19 March, 2023
“If there’s one thing the Greens have succeeded at over the past five years it is proving how ineffective they are, even with real responsibility they’ve been unable to achieve anything,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Can Hipkins do what Ardern couldn’t?
17 March, 2023
“Jacinda Ardern was hopeless at holding her Ministers accountable and if Chris Hipkins wants New Zealanders to believe that his Government is different he needs to show that he will be decisive in sacking unethical and poorly-performing Ministers,” says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Weak PM won’t hold Nash accountable
17 March, 2023
“If Stuart Nash meets the standards required of a Cabinet Minister, the rest of Labour’s MPs must be even worse. It’s time for the voters to do what Hipkins won’t and turf them all out”, says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
Labour admits failure on post code lottery
16 March, 2023
“Labour has admitted that their health reforms haven’t just failed to address the post-code lottery, new data around waiting times shows that they’ve made it worse,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
70 per cent support GST Sharing with councils - an idea whose time has come
15 March, 2023
“A recent poll shows that Kiwis overwhelmingly support my Member’s Bill to share GST with councils, allowing them to develop more infrastructure and deliver more housing for their communities,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Labour drives up building costs in a cost of living crisis
09 March, 2023
“The Government is stubbornly proceeding with new building regulations that will make the rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle cost even more. If people are going to have any chance to rebuild there needs to be an assurance that bureaucracy and red tape isn’t going to get in the way,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokespe
Minister open to Materials Equivalence Register
23 February, 2023
“With thousands of homes needing repairs in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, ACT is calling on the Government to adopt our policy of a Materials Equivalence Register,” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Māori Health Authority spends millions hiring bureaucrats
13 April, 2023
“The Māori Health Authority has been spending half a million dollars a month on recruiters to hire more bureaucrats,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Interest deductibility limitations smashing landlords
16 April, 2023
“Landlords are being hit with a double whammy of rising mortgage interest rates and increasing interest deductibility limitations to hit them hard during a cost of living crisis,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Critics out to lunch on the tenancy laws
28 April, 2023
“Those saying landlords shouldn’t be able to end a tenancy are the worst enemy of vulnerable tenants,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Four years in ‘emergency’ housing
09 May, 2023
“Someone has spent 202 weeks in ‘emergency’ housing because Labour has no idea how to sort out the housing crisis,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Investing in General Practices that Kiwis can access
12 May, 2023
“New Zealand’s health system has been on a steady decline from first world status. ACT says it’s time to turn it around, starting by providing more funding for General Practices (GPs) through our upcoming alternative budget - A Time For Truth,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Govt acknowledges building problems, ACT has the solutions
17 May, 2023
“The Government has taken the best part of the year to come to the obvious conclusion – there’s not enough competition in the building materials market. Unlike ACT, they can’t come up with a solution,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Free prescriptions a wasted opportunity
20 May, 2023
"The Government’s free prescription lolly scramble is a wasted opportunity," says ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden.
National finally admits they got housing density policy wrong
24 May, 2023
ACT New Zealand Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden welcomed National Party Leader Christopher Luxon’s admission that National ’got MDRS (housing density) wrong’.
ACT: National’s conscience
29 May, 2023
“ACT welcomes National housing spokesperson Chris Bishop getting back on the right side of housing policy. Chris broke ranks from the Labour-National housing deal just six weeks after he said he wouldn’t on the same show, and it’s a welcome reversal,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Real Change Now Speech: Brooke van Velden
06 June, 2023
Speech: Brooke van Velden
Real Change Now, SkyCity Theatre, 4 June 2023
Every single MP unites against Labour for an idea whose has come
08 June, 2023
“Labour has been surrounded from every angle by a wall of common sense tonight, but they managed to hold off good policy by a three vote majority,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Want more kids? Make housing affordable
11 June, 2023
“If politicians want to see a growing New Zealand population, don’t tell us to have more kids, make housing affordable,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Cancer treatment also ranked by race
20 June, 2023
“ACT has been contacted by concerned health professionals telling us that access to cancer treatment is now being determined by race. The Government needs to end the discrimination and allow health practitioners to focus on need,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Te Whatu Ora falling short on planned care
24 June, 2023
“If you haven’t been shuffled on a waiting list for your ethnicity there’s a reasonable chance you won’t receive the care you need anyway. New data shows that Te Whatu Ora is hopelessly underdelivering on planned care,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Record Rent Rises, Landlords Leaving: Labour’s Cruel Rental Property Own-goal
25 June, 2023
“Labour’s economic mismanagement and attacks on landlords are hurting renters, the very people Labour claims to care about,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden. “It’s a classic case of unintended consequences and it’s caused by Labour’s woeful economic ignorance.”
$158 million in RATs going to waste
27 June, 2023
“He might not be COVID Minister anymore, but New Zealanders are still paying for Chris Hipkins’ incompetence from when he was in the role. Written Parliamentary Questions answered by the Health Minister show that $158 million dollars’ worth of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) are set to expire,” says ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Verrall can’t find her ghost RATs
27 June, 2023
“How is it possible to lose enough Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) to stretch from Auckland to Wellington and back? Minister Verrall says she has a contract to store just that many RATs, but she can’t say how much storage is costing, where it is, or who they’ve contracted to store them,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
If more bureaucracy was the answer, every rental would be a palace already
02 July, 2023
“The Greens’ predictable policy of putting more bureaucracy on landlords will only serve to take rentals off the market, without doing a thing to boost much needed supply. It also continues the Greens’ damaging approach of singling out and othering groups of people for political gain,” says Act Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
RAT wastage over three times worse than first admitted
07 July, 2023
“The scale of the Government’s abject waste on COVID Rapid Antigen Tests has reached new heights, with over half a billion dollars’ worth of RATs currently sitting in Government storage. That’s enough to fund Pharmac’s entire drug wish list with more than $100 million leftover,” says ACT Party Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
New Zealand’s health system slips from first world status
13 July, 2023
“Te Whatu Ora’s long-delayed release of performance data has proven once again that increased spending does not mean better services, especially with Labour who has run down the health system to the point of crisis,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Labour asks pharmacists to racially profile
18 July, 2023
“Te Whatu Ora has taken its racial separatism a step further and is now asking pharmacists to act as ethnic enforcers, providing extra services to people solely because of ethnicity. Where will this madness end?” Asks ACT’s Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Self-serving bureaucracy scolds St John for all the wrong reasons
27 July, 2023
“Te Whatu Ora has provided another example of what is going wrong with New Zealand’s self-serving bureaucracy. Their scolding of St John for allowing Dr Shane Reti to observe emergency services in action is the behaviour of a government department more worried about covering its own ass than providing the best services to New Zealanders,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
ACT will put an end to race-based healthcare
02 August, 2023
“If Labour wants to end unfair differences in access to healthcare, it should start with the racial lottery it is deliberately creating,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Minister corrects the record – admits to race-based prezzy cards
03 August, 2023
“Associate Health Minister Willow-Jean Prime was blissfully unaware of her own policy when I asked her about it in Parliament yesterday. Today she has corrected her answers and admitted that pregnant mothers are receiving $50 prezzy cards purely because of their race,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
PM has lost control of divided health system
08 August, 2023
“Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking this morning that “the healthcare system should be treating people equally,” but examples of race-based healthcare appear everywhere you look. If the Prime Minister was being honest when he said he wanted the system to be equal, then he has lost control of it,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Cutting red tape to ease the health workforce crisis
08 August, 2023
“ACT is proposing to cut red tape to ease our health workforce crisis,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Stopping the slide – Building health infrastructure
15 August, 2023
“The running down of New Zealand’s health infrastructure has been decades in the making. The next Government will need to bring Real Change to how we build hospitals to ensure New Zealand is equipped to serve a growing population,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
People can’t live in Kainga Ora’s ghost flats
25 August, 2023
“Kainga Ora is spending quarter of a million dollars of taxpayer money every month to lease an apartment building, only to leave half the flats completely unfilled. They’re burning taxpayer money without even doing their job,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing Spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Real change needed to build more homes
09 September, 2023
“To really solve the emergency housing crisis, the next Government needs to do more than change who builds the houses for the Government. Labour says Kainga Ora should build for the Government, National says private providers should build homes for the Government, ACT says National's plan is better but doesn’t even touch the real issue,” according to ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Tāmaki is ready for a fresh new voice
03 October, 2023
“Tonight at the Taxpayer’s Union Tāmaki debate I put forward to voters why I should be the next advocate for their community in Parliament,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Tāmaki candidate Brooke van Velden.
PHARMAC needs to work for patients, not itself
10 October, 2023
“The internal chaos and siege mentality at PHARMAC is exactly why the next Government needs to open the organisation up to patient consultation and greater accountability,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
End the mental health postcode lottery
10 October, 2023
“For World Mental Health Day ACT is calling for an approach to mental health care that focuses on outcomes for Kiwis in need and ends the postcode lottery for mental health care,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.
Mahuta must explain moral failing on last day
10 November, 2023
“Documents released by the Israel Institute of NZ appear to show a final moral failing by Nanaia Mahuta that casts shame on behalf of all New Zealand,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden.